Week 4 of 52 Ancestors/52 Weeks asks which ancestor I would invite to dinner if I could do that. This was actually an easy choice for me. I would invite my great-grandmother, Maggie THOMAS.

Margaret Ann GRANT THOMAS (1870-1948) was my maternal grandmother’s mother. Maggie lived at a wonderful crossroads of time in my family’s history. A few years ago I wrote a similar piece about her husband, my great-grandfather, Dan THOMAS.

Dinner with Maggie

First, I think I’d take in her southern accent and her mannerisms. It would take me awhile just to do that, I’m sure. I’d ask about her life and her faith. I know she was a Christian, so I expect she had some favorite hymns and verses that she’d memorized.

Maggie would be able to tell me about my beloved grandma (Maggie’s daughter) like how she was growing up; and if she was the stubborn, joke-loving, hardworking woman I knew. I’m told Maggie was an awesome cook. I think I’d ask her a recipe or two.

Maggie could solve some family history mysteries, too, like:

How did Henry H. GRANT die?

Were Malachi and Penny actually Jeremiah GRANT’s parents, and if not what was the relationship between them and Jeremiah?

Was Jeremiah really a Union sympathizer?

Was Annie Jane GRANT part/full Native American, and if so which tribe?

Where did Maggie and Dan live in Chesterfield County?

And lastly, who is the man in the tintype by himself, and who are the men in the group tintype and what was it all about?

mystery Grant Tintype #1

Mystery Grant tintype #2

It would be a 12-course dinner with everything I’d want to ask and hear about it. She’d likely have questions for me, too, about her descendants. It’s a lovely meal to dream about.

How about you? What ancestor would you invite to dinner and why? Comment below.

Comments

Enjoyed your post, Nancy! It got me thinking… I think I’d chose a dinner with my grandpa’s mom who died when he was 3. She lived in NYC in late 1800s early 1900s. Would love to know more about that! She had a box of postcards from NYC that I was able to look at which were cool. Also I could tell her how her son turned out

She sounds like a wonderful ancestor to have dinner with. I bet those postcards are cool. I have some from that era, too. What did she die of? My father’s mother died when he was 5. Spanish influenza in 1919. Thanks for commenting, Diana. 🙂